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The Saudi Traffic Directorate has prohibited residents from operating heavy trucks and equipment unless six specific conditions are satisfied. The rules focus on lane discipline, timing restrictions and load security to reduce hazards posed by large vehicles in mixed traffic. The directorate issued the clarification through its official channels to underscore the role these vehicles play in transport while highlighting dangers of regulatory violations.
According to the directorate, drivers must remain in the designated safe lane on multi-lane roads and avoid erratic shifts that endanger others. Operators are required to observe approved times for entering or exiting cities to alleviate peak-hour congestion and associated risks. The conditions also ban carrying passengers aboard trucks not designed for that purpose.
Further stipulations from the directorate demand that loads be properly secured and covered to prevent items from falling during transit. If a truck must stop on the roadside at night, a triangular reflective warning sign must be placed behind it. The sixth condition calls for full adherence to all technical and licensing standards before any heavy vehicle is driven.
General Authority for Statistics data showed serious traffic accidents exceeded 17,200 in 2024 with fatalities totaling 4,282 and a mortality rate of 12.13 per 100,000 population. The Ministerial Committee of Traffic Safety annual report placed the 2025 fatality count near 4,400 after a more than 60 percent decline from 2016 levels when deaths exceeded 8,600. That committee report also recorded injuries falling to roughly 24,300 from nearly 37,000 in the earlier year.
The Ministerial Committee of Traffic Safety attributed much of the improvement to coordinated infrastructure upgrades, technology-driven violation detection and stricter enforcement on commercial vehicles. Heavy trucks feature prominently in serious incidents because of their size and weight, prompting the latest conditions targeting resident drivers who may lack specialized training. The directorate has stepped up monitoring on key routes to ensure compliance.
These requirements apply to both Saudi residents and expatriates seeking to drive such vehicles for commercial or personal use. Violations carry penalties ranging from fines to license suspension under standing traffic regulations. The directorate urged all potential operators to verify they satisfy every condition prior to taking the wheel.
